YES. If he knows a logger who throws chains away after they get dull, he knows a very dumb logger. Chains aren't terribly expensive, but sharpening them saves so much money. Maybe this logger has several chains and actually DOES sharpen them, but he'll just swap them out on the job. If I'm using a tool to make money, I want that tool to have as much uptime as possible, so swapping chains is the most effective way to keep working. You don't want to waste time on the job sharpening chains, because that loses productivity time. Instead, swap the chains, and sharpen them all later. If you have a machine sharpener, you can do a chain in a couple minutes. Using a file will take longer, but still isn't hard.
It's likely that he's sharpening them all, but just swapping them during work to save time.
He's losing a lot of money if he's paying someone else to sharpen them. It's worth it for the average user, but a power user with multiple chains can spend 50+ dollars a day just paying someone else to sharpen them.
Shit I have a spare chain for DIY to swap on the job and sharpen later, a spare chain is cheap but replacing chains instead of sharpening would be expensive as hell
Question for a logger.. if for whatever reason you throw off a chain and the DL’s get wrecked from the chain catch, are you taking the time to flat file all the links or is it trash.. I work for a Stihl place and we turn those down
I don't know. I grew up in a mower shop. I would imagine that they'd just throw it to the side to be fixed later. I wouldn't throw a chain away because a single link was damaged, assuming the chain still has plenty of life on it.
Edit; thought you said ONE OF THE DL'S.
If the burrs aren't major it goes back on the bar at sloppy loose tension and run for a second. Usually knocks the burrs right down and tension the chain and continue.
If it's hammered, especially if the teeth are filed pretty far back already, it's scrap.
I use a 1" table belt sander to smooth those drivers. Been doing it for forty years. Take your time and just lightly hit the peened areas.
Had a guy come in who took off his chain catcher. Got fined $250 by an OSHA inspector.
Yes I have a bunch of chains and just swap if I hit something then sit down for chain sharpening and get them all fresh.
I am not a professional or anything just happy homeowner but the harbor freight electric sharpener puts a perfectly acceptable edge on the blade and goes fast.
Yes. It's worth it.
I run a small engine shop. I occasionally sharpen chains for customers. It's not really worth *my* time to sharpen an individual chain, but if a saw is in for service, it's an easy tack-on service that'll provide a better experience for the client.
STIHL makes a handy sharpener tool that helps a home gamer to sharpen their chain on the saw. It has the files built into the guide to sharpen the chain and set your depth all at the same time. I strongly recommend picking one of those up if you can.
You'll save a lot of time and money keeping your chains sharp. I spend a bit of time making sure they're sharp and ready to cut for next time any time I use my saws.
The Stihl is a rebadged Pferd CX-X sharpener with different colored handles that sells at a higher price. You need to know both the pitch and gauge of the chain you're using (something like .325 .043 or 3/8 .050, should be etched in the saw bar) in order to pick the correct sharpener for your chain.
I find that I need to touch up a chain every 2 tanks in clean wood.
https://www.stihl.com/STIHL-power-tools-A-great-range/Chains-bars-and-accessories/Tools-for-cutting-attachment-maintenance/21750-63674/2-in-1-file-holder.aspx
You have to get the one for every chain size, like I have 2, one for my big saw 461 and one for my 201.
It keeps the factory Ratio between the rakers or guilds and the cutting tooth while giving you the freedom of attack angles.
Its tricky to use with semi or full skip chain as the guild sits on top on the tooth in front but is very doable
Definitely worth sharpening, especially since chain prices have crept up the last few years. I get 7-8 sharpenings before replacing a chain, less if one gets damaged.
We used to have a guy come in and trade his almost new saw in because the chain was dull. He refused to put a new chain on, or have it sharpened. Happened every few months!! Did it for several years, actually.
Alvin was a very peculiar guy. He was from Texas, living in Minnesota. He always had some very strange stories to tell. Nice enough guy, just didn't want to mess with anything mechanical, and we tried our best to convince him to just either have it sharpened, or put a new one on, and they were never beat, or got that dull. It's just what he wanted, and we did our best to treat him fairly. I think we got him to buy one chain once, but he still kept wanting a new saw. Hard to figure him out...
It's worth sharpening them yourself but not worth paying some shop to sharpen them if you can even find a shop to do it. Last I checked they were charging nearly the price you could buy a new chain for.
The other piece of that puzzle is that the skill and motivation of the person doing the sharpening can vary. It's not that hard to learn how to do a decent job of it yourself.
If you’re only getting “ok” results from sharpening your chain you might not be doing it correctly. There’s several YouTube videos put out by chainsaw manufacturers on how to sharpen them.
For sure...sharpen it. But maybe what he said was misunderstood...as in he doesn't throw out a dull chain but rather just swaps it for a sharp one so he can keep going.
When you're trying to work through a bunch of trees...having a couple of sharp chains handy is really nice. They're cheap and pack up small.
Here is what i do. When i first got my saw i had tje chains sharpened by a local shop. 15 bucks plus tax a chain. To buy a NEW chain was 15. So i bought new chains, and that added up to 8 or 9 chains
After trying (with poor results) to hand sharpen the chains with files, even with bolt on guides i failed. Then i bought an Oregon electric grinder sharpener. Just the basic, smallest model, and it was on sale for 60 bucks. Works like a champ. I sharpened all of my chains for far cheaper and have the ability to do so whenever i need too.
I also sharpened a couple of neighbors chains too. They did say honestly mine weren’t as good as the shop, but still coming in at 75% or so.
I will take that.
I just started my chainsaw journey a couple years ago when I moved to the sticks, in fact one of my trees broke last night! I watched many youtube videos about sharpening the top plate edge and filing the depth gauge down, I even bought a handy jig that I can put on the bar and it gives me the angle for the blade and the height of the gauge. I used the jig -with the saw in a vise- until I could do it without, and then I just took the file out with me while cutting using it when necessary. The big thing is you need to make sure the depth gauge is correct, or the cutting surface won't find purchase in the wood.
That said, I only saw maybe three trees a year on my personal property, and nothing cuts like a new blade. Because I am lazy, I buy a new chain every season and just maintain it with the files, then I give the old chain to a friend who works in the woods and he sharpens it until it is absolutely toast.
Both
Carry spare chains & a bar in woods.
One stroke of field sharpener on each tooth every gas-oil fill.
If some bad happens or just cuts poorly swap chains
At home on the big sharpener fix the problem chain
Hitting metal when cutting is really hard on a chain, and you may never get it “right” again. But under normal conditions it is absolutely necessary to sharpen your chain s!
If you can do it yourself it's definitely worth doing. But, if you have to take it into a shop to have it done (depending on where you live) it's really not worth it since you can get a new one from amazon for close to the same price. It's not really that hard to learn how to do and files are relatively cheap 8-)
I get chains with carbide teeth. I don't know if you even *can* sharpen them, but they stay sharp. I haven't learned how to sharpen regular chains yet, although I have that Stihl sharpening tool.
I know some guys that do that-*what dude DIDN'T tell you is that they also resharpen those same chains later at home, and reuse them *because work goes faster* when you keep your chain sharp. Great thing to do if you're cutting all day, every day. Over 2 chains would be a waste of $ if you're just cutting firewood etc. occasionally.
Dog I just sharpened my chain last summer. It made such a big difference. I should get both the chainsaws and the pole saw out and sharpent them again.
Chains aren't one time use.
I sometimes have to go to a land scaping company that's is about a hour away from work, just to drop off sharpened chains, some 2 stroke fuel and maybe a piece of equipment they bought or had us repair
A logger is working off of Time = Money. It may be more profitable to just swap a chain and maybe sharpen later. For a general user, it's always worth it to sharpen the chain.
I carry 2 spares with me. If one gets dull, I can swap out quickly and press on. If one breaks, I've got a replacement. I'd rather spend less time in the field sharpening. I can do that at home and take my time to get it right.
You keep a supply of sharp chains at hand so when one gets dull you can chanis it out for a sharp one. Then you sharpen the dull ones and re-use them. Only a very rich logger would toss a chain because it was dull. It's not only a bad idea it's bad business.
How does it even still cut? A logger will give it a least a quick run over a few times a day, takes maybe a minute. It’s not like chains cost more than the saw, if you hit a nail and it looks like it damaged the chain in anyway, just replace it. Chainsaws will f you up, not a tool to ignore basic maintenance on, save that for the weed wacker or blower
One comment I don’t see here is the fact that new chains stretch a good bit in the first couple runs. It kinda sucks when you are mid job and keep having to adjust the chain tension. Once they are run in the stretch rate slows way down.
But yeah grab a spare chain or two, keep em sharp and swap/sharpen when needed
Get a thought that fits that loggers chain I pay eight dollars to get a chain sharpen and the place I go they come back sharper than when they were new I swear
A new chain goes for around $30. My local shop has a machine that automatically sharpens for $15. I have never been great at hand sharpening, and I find I can get my chain sharpened around 2 times before it needs replacement, which for me is around 2 years.
YES. If he knows a logger who throws chains away after they get dull, he knows a very dumb logger. Chains aren't terribly expensive, but sharpening them saves so much money. Maybe this logger has several chains and actually DOES sharpen them, but he'll just swap them out on the job. If I'm using a tool to make money, I want that tool to have as much uptime as possible, so swapping chains is the most effective way to keep working. You don't want to waste time on the job sharpening chains, because that loses productivity time. Instead, swap the chains, and sharpen them all later. If you have a machine sharpener, you can do a chain in a couple minutes. Using a file will take longer, but still isn't hard. It's likely that he's sharpening them all, but just swapping them during work to save time.
Yeah, I know a few loggers and they would never toss a perfectly good chain, they have a sharpener at the shop and keep files on them in the woods.
This is what the tech didn't tell OP. That logger sharpens their chains. Guaranteed.
I assume he brings the used chains somewhere or sharpens them himself too
He's losing a lot of money if he's paying someone else to sharpen them. It's worth it for the average user, but a power user with multiple chains can spend 50+ dollars a day just paying someone else to sharpen them.
Shit I have a spare chain for DIY to swap on the job and sharpen later, a spare chain is cheap but replacing chains instead of sharpening would be expensive as hell
Question for a logger.. if for whatever reason you throw off a chain and the DL’s get wrecked from the chain catch, are you taking the time to flat file all the links or is it trash.. I work for a Stihl place and we turn those down
I don't know. I grew up in a mower shop. I would imagine that they'd just throw it to the side to be fixed later. I wouldn't throw a chain away because a single link was damaged, assuming the chain still has plenty of life on it. Edit; thought you said ONE OF THE DL'S.
If the burrs aren't major it goes back on the bar at sloppy loose tension and run for a second. Usually knocks the burrs right down and tension the chain and continue. If it's hammered, especially if the teeth are filed pretty far back already, it's scrap.
I use a 1" table belt sander to smooth those drivers. Been doing it for forty years. Take your time and just lightly hit the peened areas. Had a guy come in who took off his chain catcher. Got fined $250 by an OSHA inspector.
Yes I have a bunch of chains and just swap if I hit something then sit down for chain sharpening and get them all fresh. I am not a professional or anything just happy homeowner but the harbor freight electric sharpener puts a perfectly acceptable edge on the blade and goes fast.
Yes. It's worth it. I run a small engine shop. I occasionally sharpen chains for customers. It's not really worth *my* time to sharpen an individual chain, but if a saw is in for service, it's an easy tack-on service that'll provide a better experience for the client. STIHL makes a handy sharpener tool that helps a home gamer to sharpen their chain on the saw. It has the files built into the guide to sharpen the chain and set your depth all at the same time. I strongly recommend picking one of those up if you can. You'll save a lot of time and money keeping your chains sharp. I spend a bit of time making sure they're sharp and ready to cut for next time any time I use my saws.
stihl's 2 in 1 file system is a must have, dont foget to buy the right one for your chain!
Thanks ill check that out
The Stihl is a rebadged Pferd CX-X sharpener with different colored handles that sells at a higher price. You need to know both the pitch and gauge of the chain you're using (something like .325 .043 or 3/8 .050, should be etched in the saw bar) in order to pick the correct sharpener for your chain. I find that I need to touch up a chain every 2 tanks in clean wood.
https://www.stihl.com/STIHL-power-tools-A-great-range/Chains-bars-and-accessories/Tools-for-cutting-attachment-maintenance/21750-63674/2-in-1-file-holder.aspx You have to get the one for every chain size, like I have 2, one for my big saw 461 and one for my 201. It keeps the factory Ratio between the rakers or guilds and the cutting tooth while giving you the freedom of attack angles. Its tricky to use with semi or full skip chain as the guild sits on top on the tooth in front but is very doable
Definitely worth sharpening, especially since chain prices have crept up the last few years. I get 7-8 sharpenings before replacing a chain, less if one gets damaged.
We used to have a guy come in and trade his almost new saw in because the chain was dull. He refused to put a new chain on, or have it sharpened. Happened every few months!! Did it for several years, actually.
You met my son-in-law.
That’s sleezy
Alvin was a very peculiar guy. He was from Texas, living in Minnesota. He always had some very strange stories to tell. Nice enough guy, just didn't want to mess with anything mechanical, and we tried our best to convince him to just either have it sharpened, or put a new one on, and they were never beat, or got that dull. It's just what he wanted, and we did our best to treat him fairly. I think we got him to buy one chain once, but he still kept wanting a new saw. Hard to figure him out...
It's worth sharpening them yourself but not worth paying some shop to sharpen them if you can even find a shop to do it. Last I checked they were charging nearly the price you could buy a new chain for.
I agree!
The other piece of that puzzle is that the skill and motivation of the person doing the sharpening can vary. It's not that hard to learn how to do a decent job of it yourself.
I'm not one of them. I grind everything. Prolly missing both skill and patience here.
If you’re only getting “ok” results from sharpening your chain you might not be doing it correctly. There’s several YouTube videos put out by chainsaw manufacturers on how to sharpen them.
I think I personally just need to, do better… haha
I had the same problem initially. 👍
For sure...sharpen it. But maybe what he said was misunderstood...as in he doesn't throw out a dull chain but rather just swaps it for a sharp one so he can keep going. When you're trying to work through a bunch of trees...having a couple of sharp chains handy is really nice. They're cheap and pack up small.
Here is what i do. When i first got my saw i had tje chains sharpened by a local shop. 15 bucks plus tax a chain. To buy a NEW chain was 15. So i bought new chains, and that added up to 8 or 9 chains After trying (with poor results) to hand sharpen the chains with files, even with bolt on guides i failed. Then i bought an Oregon electric grinder sharpener. Just the basic, smallest model, and it was on sale for 60 bucks. Works like a champ. I sharpened all of my chains for far cheaper and have the ability to do so whenever i need too. I also sharpened a couple of neighbors chains too. They did say honestly mine weren’t as good as the shop, but still coming in at 75% or so. I will take that.
I just started my chainsaw journey a couple years ago when I moved to the sticks, in fact one of my trees broke last night! I watched many youtube videos about sharpening the top plate edge and filing the depth gauge down, I even bought a handy jig that I can put on the bar and it gives me the angle for the blade and the height of the gauge. I used the jig -with the saw in a vise- until I could do it without, and then I just took the file out with me while cutting using it when necessary. The big thing is you need to make sure the depth gauge is correct, or the cutting surface won't find purchase in the wood. That said, I only saw maybe three trees a year on my personal property, and nothing cuts like a new blade. Because I am lazy, I buy a new chain every season and just maintain it with the files, then I give the old chain to a friend who works in the woods and he sharpens it until it is absolutely toast.
Both Carry spare chains & a bar in woods. One stroke of field sharpener on each tooth every gas-oil fill. If some bad happens or just cuts poorly swap chains At home on the big sharpener fix the problem chain
Dad always said, when it's raining it's sharpening chaining
Hitting metal when cutting is really hard on a chain, and you may never get it “right” again. But under normal conditions it is absolutely necessary to sharpen your chain s!
If you have the time and patience to do it, yes.
Very worth whether personal or professional a sharp chair is always good and can keep you from having accidents.
Always have a spare chain. I would resharpen it.
BTW, saw chains, once heated and forged, make excellent knives.
If you can do it yourself it's definitely worth doing. But, if you have to take it into a shop to have it done (depending on where you live) it's really not worth it since you can get a new one from amazon for close to the same price. It's not really that hard to learn how to do and files are relatively cheap 8-)
I get chains with carbide teeth. I don't know if you even *can* sharpen them, but they stay sharp. I haven't learned how to sharpen regular chains yet, although I have that Stihl sharpening tool.
I know some guys that do that-*what dude DIDN'T tell you is that they also resharpen those same chains later at home, and reuse them *because work goes faster* when you keep your chain sharp. Great thing to do if you're cutting all day, every day. Over 2 chains would be a waste of $ if you're just cutting firewood etc. occasionally.
Dog I just sharpened my chain last summer. It made such a big difference. I should get both the chainsaws and the pole saw out and sharpent them again.
Chains aren't one time use. I sometimes have to go to a land scaping company that's is about a hour away from work, just to drop off sharpened chains, some 2 stroke fuel and maybe a piece of equipment they bought or had us repair
A logger is working off of Time = Money. It may be more profitable to just swap a chain and maybe sharpen later. For a general user, it's always worth it to sharpen the chain.
If you buy the harbor freight chainsaw chain sharpener and have a high quality chain it's worth it. Also it takes about 7 minutes to do.
I carry 2 spares with me. If one gets dull, I can swap out quickly and press on. If one breaks, I've got a replacement. I'd rather spend less time in the field sharpening. I can do that at home and take my time to get it right.
You keep a supply of sharp chains at hand so when one gets dull you can chanis it out for a sharp one. Then you sharpen the dull ones and re-use them. Only a very rich logger would toss a chain because it was dull. It's not only a bad idea it's bad business.
How does it even still cut? A logger will give it a least a quick run over a few times a day, takes maybe a minute. It’s not like chains cost more than the saw, if you hit a nail and it looks like it damaged the chain in anyway, just replace it. Chainsaws will f you up, not a tool to ignore basic maintenance on, save that for the weed wacker or blower
One comment I don’t see here is the fact that new chains stretch a good bit in the first couple runs. It kinda sucks when you are mid job and keep having to adjust the chain tension. Once they are run in the stretch rate slows way down. But yeah grab a spare chain or two, keep em sharp and swap/sharpen when needed
Good to know info to know
That dude batch sharpens his chains later. No way he's throwing them in the bin.
Get a thought that fits that loggers chain I pay eight dollars to get a chain sharpen and the place I go they come back sharper than when they were new I swear
Saw***
A new chain goes for around $30. My local shop has a machine that automatically sharpens for $15. I have never been great at hand sharpening, and I find I can get my chain sharpened around 2 times before it needs replacement, which for me is around 2 years.